Raw Elimination Chamber Match
Two miles of chain, 10 tons of steel, 16-feet in height and 36-feet in diameter.
Despite the considerable dimensions of the Elimination Chamber, the sinister structure hardly seems sizable enough to contain the animosity sure to be unleashed within. The Superstars participating in this year’s contest – John Cena, King Sheamus, John Morrison, R-Truth, Randy Orton and CM Punk – each carry long-held grudges as well as ill will that has only recently bubbled to the surface. And to foster their ferocity, the winner of the match will earn a WWE Title opportunity at WrestleMania.
All six participants have experience within the wicked walls, but only one among them has actually won: John Cena. Although 2010’s WWE Superstar of the Year has emerged victorious from the structure twice – most recently at last year’s WWE Elimination Chamber – that fact by itself may well place a bull’s eye on his back.
Unquestionably, the other five competitors will gleefully take aim. Although, it’s hardly just Cena who will be in the crosshairs. Randy Orton has also logged multiple Elimination Chamber Matches, experience that will serve him well.
And the man Cena defeated last year to win the WWE Title? King Sheamus. The promise of redemption alone should be enough for the Irishman to throw all of his Celtic power around the chamber.
As for former tag team partners R-Truth and John Morrison, these two athletic Superstars share honors as this year’s wildcards. Although the two did not win during their inaugural WWE Elimination Chamber Match last year, each of their performances proved impressive.
And what of CM Punk? The New Nexus leader will not enjoy the luxury of his fellow Nexi to assist him while confined within Satan’s Structure. The Second City Savior, though, has already proven his worth independent of his disciples, time and again.
Regardless of outcome, the Raw Elimination Chamber Match promises to provide the spectacle of a half dozen of WWE’s most dynamic Superstars clashing within WWE’s most diabolical of structures.
SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match
At WWE Elimination Chamber, five SmackDown Superstars will step into the career-altering abyss that is the Elimination Chamber Match. Will Edge walk out with the World Heavyweight Championship still in his grasp? Or will another Superstar rise from the metal mayhem as the new World Champion and face No. 1 contender Alberto Del Rio in the main event at WrestleMania?
The Elimination Chamber is such a sinister instrument of destruction that it has only been contested 11 times since its inception. The mangled configuration of torture is comprised of two miles of chain, 10 tons of steel, measuring 16-feet in height and 36-feet in diameter. Two Superstars will begin the match, with the others being released one-at-a-time into the insanity thereafter. A Superstar wins when his five adversaries have been eliminated by pinfall or submission. There is no disqualification; no order; no place to hide.
In addition to Edge, the match will include Rey Mysterio, Kane, Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre – all of whom claimed their opportunity in a series of Elimination Chamber Qualifying Matches on the Feb. 4 edition of SmackDown. The then-“acting” SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero had also automatically inserted her boyfriend, Dolph Ziggler into the fray. However, since returning SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long fired the bleach-blond Superstar on Feb. 18, it is reasonable to assume that Edge will only be facing four challengers.
Although the odds are stacked against The Rated-R Superstar retaining his World Heavyweight Championship, The Master Manipulator has triumphed in the Elimination Chamber before, forging his legacy in a total of three battles inside the dreaded structure.
Kane also has been in three Elimination Chamber Matches, including its inaugural match in the 2002 Survivor Series. The Devil’s Favorite Demon is not only tailor-made for the hellish structure, but he would like nothing better than to use it to reclaim the title that The Ultimate Opportunist took from him at WWE TLC.
Rey Mysterio has experienced the madness of Elimination Chamber on two separate occasions. His athletic prowess, extreme heart and aerial superiority allow him to thrive on all levels of the cage-like environment and could make the difference for the two-time World Champion.
Although this is the first Elimination Chamber Match for McIntyre and Barrett, each has demonstrated the type of ruthless aggression needed to reign supreme amidst the masochistic steel.
Who will emerge from WWE Elimination Chamber with the World Heavyweight Championship and go on to headline WrestleMania?
WWE Champion The Miz vs. Jerry Lawler
“It’s good to be The King,” as WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler would attest, but being WWE Champion is even better.
Whether he’s grappling in the squared circle or calling the action behind the Raw announce table, Lawler has accomplished a great deal during his storied in-ring career, but he has yet to attain the ultimate crowning achievement in sports-entertainment – the WWE Championship. But The King just might earn that distinction when he locks up with reigning titleholder The Miz at WWE Elimination Chamber.
Although Lawler has been vocally opposed to The Awesome One’s heinous actions over the years – much to the chagrin of his Miz-biased broadcast partner, Michael Cole – The King had finally had enough of “The Cleveland Screamer” following his Money in the Bank-assisted (and decidedly underhanded) WWE Title victory over Randy Orton. Frustrated by the new titleholder’s arrogance, Lawler interrupted The Miz’s first WWE Championship address, inspiring Raw’s General Manager to pit the 2007 WWE Hall of Fame inductee against The Miz in a high-risk Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match for the WWE Championship. This marked Miz’s first title defense and The King’s monumental first WWE Title opportunity.
Unfortunately, Cole’s allegiance to Lawler could not overcome his overwhelming support for The Miz, leading him to interfere on the cocky Clevelander’s behalf when Lawler – ascending a ladder in the middle of the ring – was just inches away from finally grasping his first WWE Title. Although Lawler’s defeat might have been a disappointment, his impressive athletic performance in that bout proved to The Miz and the entire WWE Universe that the battle-tested veteran remains a viable contender not merely worthy of competing for the title, but of wearing it proudly around his waist.
The King would go on to earn three non-title victories over The Miz on Raw, but the WWE Champion nevertheless flaunted his prize in front of the Memphis-born monarch at every turn, reminding Lawler that he had already achieved something his elder never could.
The Miz changed his tune, however, when Lawler – just 24 hours removed from the 2011 Royal Rumble – surpassed the likes of John Cena, King Sheamus, John Morrison, R-Truth, Randy Orton and CM Punk in the first-ever Raw Rumble Match to earn an opportunity to challenge The Miz for his title at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Will the most “must-see” WWE Champion in history manage to cling to the WWE Title once again, as he has done so many times in the past? Or will Jerry “The King” Lawler earn his rightful place among the most elite ring warriors in WWE history?
Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio
At WWE Elimination Chamber, Alberto Del Rio will square-off against Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston. Will the No. 1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship continue to build momentum as he prepares to step onto the Grandest Stage of Them All? Or could there be “Trouble in Paradise”?
For the past several weeks, Kofi Kingston has been on an explosive collision course with Alberto Del Rio. On the Feb. 4 edition of SmackDown, a distraction by the Mexican aristocrat cost Kofi his Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. Later that night, when the high-flying Superstar came to stop his infuriated foe from attacking Hornswoggle, Del Rio attacked Kofi with a kendo stick and locked him in his devastating cross armbreaker.
One week later, The Dreadlocked Dynamo’s animosity reached a boiling point when he delivered a retribution-laden kendo assault on his smiling adversary during Del Rio’s Valentine's Day celebration. Later that night, Del Rio showed the WWE Universe why he will headline WrestleMania, when he defeated Kingston with his destructive cross armbreaker in a non-title match.
Can Kofi Kingston drive a fork in Del Rio’s Road to WrestleMania at WWE Elimination Chamber?
WWE Tag Team Champions Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel
In a WWE.com exclusive announcement, WWE Tag Team Champions Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov will engage in an all-out battle with The Corre’s Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel at WWE Elimination Chamber, with the future of the illustrious tag team titles hanging in the balance.
Gabriel & Slater lost their WWE Tag Team Championships to Santino & Kozlov when they were members of The Nexus. However, they now stand side-by-side with Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson as part of a powerful new alliance-of-equality known as The Corre. Reinvigorated, they have set out to take back what is theirs. On the Feb. 4 edition of SmackDown, they put the exclamation point on that intention by scoring a fierce non-title victory over the reigning champions.
Two weeks later on the Feb. 18 edition of SmackDown, a tag team title showdown between the two determined duos came to pass. A clear winner could not be determined, thanks to interference by Barrett. Therefore, at WWE Elimination Chamber, both tag teams are looking forward to settling the matter once and for all.
Since winning their prestigious titles, Santino & Kozlov have complemented their winning ways with an element of humor. But, regardless of their antics, the ability and determination they bring to the ring is no joke. And as they prepare to defend their titles against The Corre at this Sunday’s pay-per-view, both The Italian Stallion and The Moscow Mauler are fully aware that the stakes could not be more serious.
Will Gabriel & Slater bring WWE Tag Team Titles to The Corre? Or will the Cobra strike down upon them?
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